Operation Bright Squall
Operation Bright Squall is the name given to a reinforcement and rescue operation on Huffman Island in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the SPARTAN-IX cell, which took place on June 28, 2105. The cell's objective was to relieve a beleaguered force of OCU Marines under attack by a UCS invasion force. The entire SPARTAN-IX cell was killed during the operation, as were sixteen OCU soldiers whose Pelican was shot down while flying to provide support to the team. It was the largest loss of life for the SPARTAN Initiative in a single sortie since the program began. =Initial Attack= Huffman Island had been a point of contention between the UCS and OCU since the turn of the century. On June 27, 2105, Huffman Air Base came under heavy assault by at least 27 United Continental States bombers, destroying eight of the 12 D77-TC Pelicans and most of the Marine garrison's defensive emplacements. Shortly thereafter, the first of several UCS landing attempts was successfully repelled. At this point the garrison, which consisted of elements of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion totaling 449 officers and soldiers, began radioing for reinforcements, but the UCS had already heavily saturated the entire area with Minovsky particles. =Deployment of SPARTAN-IX= At the same time as the Huffman Island assault began, the SPARTAN-IX cell, led by Lt. Azisa Haruta and consisting of Sergeant First Class Matthew Axelson and petty officers Ahmad Shah, Miki Suzuki and Lee Tak Wai, was returning from a successful reconnaissance mission in an unknown UCS-South American nation by way of Combat Talon. Because of their proximity to the engagement zone and the sensitivity of their quantum telegraphs, they were able to intercept the garrison's distress signal and immediately relayed the SOS to Iwo Jima Air Base. In addition, they contacted HIGHCOM for permission to deviate from their intended destination and reinforce the garrison. Permission was denied twice by High Command but granted when they persisted and made a third request. The name 'Bright Squall' was chosen for the mission by the SPARTAN-IX operatives mere minutes before they penetrated the anti-air envelope the UCS had erected around the island. =The Firefight= After an initially successful insertion via Combat Talon, SPARTAN-IX arrived at the base just in time to assist the Marine garrison in driving back yet another amphibious assault. With the number of combat-effective soldiers now totaling roughly 70 men, SPARTAN-IX advised the base commander to evacuate using the remaining D77-TCs. The cell volunteered to cover the Marines' retreat, vowing to be "the last boots to leave Hoffman Island". As the Marines began prepping for air evac, the five Spartans took over the island's defenses. Using the base's few remaining defensive emplacements, SPARTAN-IX succeeded in distracting the surrounding UCS forces long enough to open a pocket for the Marine garrison's retreat. All four Pelicans managed to escape, though each was badly damaged in the process. During the operation, SPARTAN-IX's Combat Talon was destroyed by enemy mortar strikes. =Failed Rescue= Two D77H-TCI Pelicans, four Oceanhahn helicopters and two Combat Talons attempted to come to SPARTAN-IX's rescue to provide extraction at the far side of the island. One of the Pelicans, carrying eight OCU Marines and eight members of the 105th Drop Jet Platoon, was shot down by UCS fighter craft patrolling the region for just such a rescue attempt. The Pelican crashed into the sea, killing all sixteen on board and forcing the remainder of the rescue squadron to abort the rescue attempt. =Final Hours= In the early hours of the following morning, the Spartans were confronted by a force of UCS EarthForce Marines, estimated between 50-200 strong. The enemy combatants set up a well-organized, three-sided attack, which forced the Spartans to begin falling back to the island's interior. After two hours of fighting, Shah abandoned the cover of the jungle and ran into the open intent on placing a distress call for immediate support, but was shot in the hand. Haruta then moved into the open himself, after noting that the team's burst-transmissions must have been being blocked by a Minovsky jamming effect, and placed the emergency call for support using his quantum telegraph. He was shot in the stomach during the conversation. Nevertheless, he returned to his cover after the transmission and continued to battle. Despite heavy casualties inflicted against the attacking force, SPARTAN-IX was outnumbered, outgunned, and unable to withstand the onslaught as their ammunition depleted. The cell was eventually overwhelmed by the numerically superior UCS invasion force and all members of the team were killed by enemy gunfire. =Aftermath= Nearly two days after the initial confrontation, a rapid reaction force of over 300 OCU Marines assaulted the island, driving UCS forces back into the sea and securing the area. The OCU-Navy also located the downed Pelican and verified that all 16 aboard had been killed. The bodies of four Spartans were recovered from the island; the fifth, Miki Suzuki, was initially missing and believed captured by UCS forces. The UCS returned her body to the OCU three months later. On May 23, 2106, the entire SPARTAN-IX unit was posthumously decorated the Medal of Honor for "undaunted courage" and heroism in saving the lives of the Huffman Island garrison. They are the only Spartans to receive the Navy's highest honor.